Alumni Giving of Business Executives to the Alma Mater: Panel Data Evidence at a Large Metropolitan Research University

Charitable giving to public and private institutions of higher learning in the US is a growing major source of financing academic and support programs. The novel contribution of this research is the estimation of an econometric model of gift-giving alumni business executives of a large public urban university using 10,192 individual donor observations [that is, a panel of 392 donors for 26 years]. Our theoretically consistent empirical results reinforce the earlier research findings that male alumni in Greek social organizations gave significantly more. New insights unique to this study are that alumni individuals with the higher-order executive job titles (proxy for permanent income) of a Chief Executive Officer or President (relative to the lesser ranks) are significantly more charitable, and that the number of other gift-giving alumni and friends known to donors, and national athletic conference (basketball and football) championship wins are also highly statistically significant positive drivers of alumni annual giving to the comprehensive metropolitan research university. The resulting profile of gift-giving alumni business executives can be profitably used to more effectively target likely donors and raise cost-effectiveness of fundraising efforts in these times of fiscal austerity in higher education.educational economics, educational finance, charitable donations, alumni giving of business executives

FACTOR DEMANDS OF LOUISIANA RICE PRODUCERS: AN ECONOMETRIC INVESTIGATION

A Diewert-flexible (dual) cost function was used to derive a system of conditional factor demand equations for Louisiana rice producers. Generalized Leontief cost and factor share equations were fitted for the 1955-87 period using Zellner's SURE system estimation procedure. The Aitken parameter estimates reveal that: (1) the optimal input mix of rice farmers varies with production scale, (2) the factor-augmenting technical change is labor and chemical saving but seed using, (3) pairwise input substitutions are limited, and (4) factor demands are own-price inelastic. An implication is that Louisiana rice farmers will not appreciably alter their factor utilizations when relative input prices change.Demand and Price Analysis,

Small Business Economics of the Lakota Fund on the Native American Indian Reservation

Poverty rates on Native American Indian reservations are triple the US average. Small business incubation programs, available elsewhere in the US, are sparse on the reservations. Small businesses are potent drivers of US economic growth. Some 25.5 million entrepreneurs generate more than 50% of the GDP, are 26% of the exporters, and create 80% of the total net new job formation. The Small Business Administration (SBA), an independent agency of the federal government created in 1953, maintains and strengthens the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting, and protecting the interests of small businesses and by assisting families and businesses to recover from national disasters. SBA services hardly exist on the Native American Indian Reservations (NAIRs), however. Studies have linked micro entrepreneurial activities to economic growth and poverty reduction. Our study tests the effects of the Lakota Fund (LF), a small business development initiative, on the NAIRs to determine whether SBA-like programs (loans, training, and consulting) can improve economic conditions on the NAIRs. The LF, a private micro loan and business training initiative on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is tested for its effectiveness in generating income. The 1980-2006 annual county-level data (Shannon Co. is 'treatment', Todd Co. is 'control') are a natural experiment; the counties are similar otherwise. Using the real per capita income (RPCI) dependent variable, and controlling for other factors, our regression results indicate that the LF initiative and its duration (intensity) raised RPCI significantly − suggesting the success of a privately funded small business incubation initiative targeted at isolated impoverished groups within the highly developed US economy. Suggestions for future research and program replication ideas are explored.poverty rates, Small Business Administration, Lakota Fund, life expectancy, public sector

FACTOR DEMANDS OF LOUISIANA RICE PRODUCERS: AN ECONOMETRIC INVESTIGATION: REPLY

Demand and Price Analysis,

Alumni giving of business executives to the alma mater: Panel data evidence at a large metropolitan research university

Charitable giving to public and private institutions of higher learning in the US is a growing major source of financing academic and support programs. The novel contribution of this research is the estimation of an econometric model of gift-giving alumni business executives of a large public urban university using 10,192 individual donor observations [that is, a panel of 392 donors for 26 years]. Our theoretically consistent empirical results reinforce the earlier research findings that male alumni in Greek social organizations gave significantly more. New insights unique to this study are that alumni individuals with the higher-order executive job titles (proxy for permanent income) of a Chief Executive Officer or President (relative to the lesser ranks) are significantly more charitable, and that the number of other gift-giving alumni and friends known to donors, and national athletic conference (basketball and football) championship wins are also highly statistically significant positive drivers of alumni annual giving to the comprehensive metropolitan research university. The resulting profile of gift-giving alumni business executives can be profitably used to more effectively target likely donors and raise cost-effectiveness of fundraising efforts in these times of fiscal austerity in higher education

Reversal of Sodium Arsenite Inhibition of Rat Liver Microsomal Ca2+ Pumping ATPase by Vitamin C

Sodium arsenite (NaAsO2), at 10% of its median lethal dose, was administered to rats with and without vitamin C pretreatment. Liver microsomal fraction was isolated and the activity of Ca2+-ATPase was assayed. Sodium arsenite was found to inhibit the activity of the liver microsomal Ca2+-ATPase to 50% to that of control rats. The specific activity of the enzyme in rats administered sodium arsenite with vitamin C pretreatment was not significantly different from that of control rats

Thermal and pressure stability of myrosinase enzymes from black mustard (Brassica nigra L. W.D.J Koch. var. nigra), brown mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern. var. juncea) and yellow mustard (Sinapsis alba L. Subsp Maire) seeds

This study investigates the effects of temperature and pressure on inactivation of myrosinase extracted from black, brown and yellow mustard seeds. Brown mustard had higher myrosinase activity (2.75 un/mL) than black (1.50 un/mL) and yellow mustard (0.63 un/mL). The extent of enzyme inactivation increased with pressure (600-800 MPa) and temperature (30-70 °C) for all the mustard seeds. However, at combinations of lower pressures (200-400 MPa) and high temperatures (60-80 °C), there was less inactivation. For example, application of 300 MPa and 70 °C for 10 minutes retained 20%, 80% and 65% activity in yellow, black and brown mustard, respectively, whereas the corresponding activity retentions when applying only heat (70 °C, 10min) were 0%, 59% and 35%. Thus, application of moderate pressures (200-400 MPa) can potentially be used to retain myrosinase activity needed for subsequent glucosinolate hydrolysis

The nature of fishing community in Nigeria: a case study of Itowolo fishing community, Lagos

Itowolo is a fishing village being boarded with Lagos lagoon on nearly every side except the southern part which opened to the Ikorodu road from Mile 12 part of Agboyi - Ketu Local Council Development Area. During the raining season, the water level increases which possibly cause flood at heavy down pour while low water level of higher salinity during the dry season. The indigenes are primarily fisherfolks and they are effective in their fishing activities by having individual functional canoe ranging from small unmotorised paddled dugout type to outboard ones. The main gears used for fishing in the area are cast nets, gill nets, traps, hooks and lines among which cast net is prominently used Their landings during the raining season involve different species of fishes such as Heterobranchus species, Heterotis species, Channa species including others while tilapia of different species take the greatest percentage of their catches during the dry season. The shrimps top the population of catches between the months of July September. The dwellers during off fishing season engage in other economic activities that generate income such as petty trading, palm tapping, fuel wood trading, transport business, mat making, hairdressing, fashion designing, computer business centres and telecommunication vendors. In general, fishing activities are characterized by low unit productivity, intensive labour, relative low capital, low operational costs and limited gear coverage. High post harvest losses are usually experienced due to lack of suitable storage facilities which eventually lead to relative low profit

Small business economics of the Lakota Fund on the Native American Indian reservation

Poverty rates on Native American Indian reservations are triple the US average. Small business incubation programs, available elsewhere in the US, are sparse on the reservations. Small businesses are potent drivers of US economic growth. Some 25.5 million entrepreneurs generate more than 50% of the GDP, are 26% of the exporters, and create 80% of the total net new job formation. The Small Business Administration (SBA), an independent agency of the federal government created in 1953, maintains and strengthens the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting, and protecting the interests of small businesses and by assisting families and businesses to recover from national disasters. SBA services hardly exist on the Native American Indian Reservations (NAIRs), however. Studies have linked micro entrepreneurial activities to economic growth and poverty reduction. Our study tests the effects of the Lakota Fund (LF), a small business development initiative, on the NAIRs to determine whether SBA-like programs (loans, training, and consulting) can improve economic conditions on the NAIRs. The LF, a private micro loan and business training initiative on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is tested for its effectiveness in generating income. The 1980-2006 annual county-level data (Shannon Co. is 'treatment', Todd Co. is 'control') are a natural experiment; the counties are similar otherwise. Using the real per capita income (RPCI) dependent variable, and controlling for other factors, our regression results indicate that the LF initiative and its duration (intensity) raised RPCI significantly - suggesting the success of a privately funded small business incubation initiative targeted at isolated impoverished groups within the highly developed US economy. Suggestions for future research and program replication ideas are explored

Antimicrobial Activities of Some Nigerian Chewing Sticks

The antimicrobial activities of the ethanolic extracts of three Nigerian chewing sticks, namely, Terminalia glaucescens, Anogeissus leiocarpus and Pseudocedrela kotschyi were investigated. Results from this study showed that the antimicrobial activities of the tested chewing sticks vary and are target-microbe specific. Of the tested chewing sticks, A. leiocarpus showed a significantly higher antibacterial activity (P\u3c0.05) against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes; and this was closely followed by T. glaucescens, while P. kotschyi virtually had no activity against these two organisms. However, the activity of T. glaucescens against Streptococcus mutans was significantly higher (P\u3c0.05) than that exhibited by A. leiocarpus. The extracts of the three chewing sticks had no activity against Candida albicans. The antibacterial activities of these two potent chewing sticks made them suitable for better dental care